The Oklahoma Daily

Relaxing just as important as studying this time of year HANNAH RIEGER Contributing Writer

It’s no surprise this time of year is stressful to students — the end of the semester is right around the corner and final exams and project deadlines are approaching.

But by this point in the semester, many students have built up stress that makes them physically and mentally sick without knowing.

According to the American Institute of Stress, stress is a subjective sensation associated with varied symptoms that differ for each person; therefore it is hard for scientists to define.

Kaylee Davis-Maddy, letters senior, finds the stress of finals week overwhelming but has found that a strict schedule and calendar of crucial events is helpful.

“I don’t always follow the schedule to the letter, but I have it in place,” she said. “I put dates on when I want study guides made or papers completed. Most of the time, I schedule these things a few days earlier than I need to, just in case I slack off.”

Although she admits she procrastinates, which leads to

more stress, Davis-Maddy said guilt is her biggest motivator.

“If I don’t follow my study schedule, I’ll be racked with guilt,” she said. “I really have to fight my procrastination to make sure I get everything completed.”

When feeling overwhelmed with stress, Davis-Maddy gives herself some leeway.

“If I have a test the next morning but I’m feeling really stressed, I go do something relaxing,” she said. “I’ll watch a DVD or make some crafts. When I know I’m going to be stressed out, I don’t punish myself for taking some time out.”

Although stress affects everyone differently, there are many tips to help relieve the condition during this time, Maggie Pool, health promotion coordinator at Goddard Health Center, stated in an e-mail.

POOL’S TIPS FOR STRESS-FREE STUDYING: 1. Find an environment you like “In dealing with exam preparation, be sure to anticipate and create a productive environment — clean room, healthy snacks, relaxing music, comfortable clothes, whatever keeps you from distraction and comfortable,” Pool said.

2. Make a to-do list “If you like to make to-do lists, make sure to keep it minimal during finals week to help minimize anticipatory stress.

Use daylight hours and try various study strategies-note cards, rewriting notes, and flow charts.”

3. Take time to exercise and relax “Healthy ways to manage stress are exercising and utilizing relaxation techniques such as aromatherapy, reading, listening to music or a good meal.”

4. Try to eat moderately healthy “The American Heart Association recommends adequate amounts of nutrients by eating a variety of foods in controlled amounts. It is important to remember that any food can fit into a healthy eating plan as long as it is eaten in moderation.”

It’s important for students to eat regularly every four to five hours, she said. Skipping meals makes it more difficult to concentrate.

5. Seek out seminars about stress managements “Students may schedule an appointment with a counselor at OU Counseling and Testing to discuss stress related issues.”

Area mall struggles with rumors this holiday season With all major department stores gone, mall faces false rumors of closure RICKY MARANON Daily Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY — While most malls in Oklahoma are facing tough economic times, one Oklahoma City mall must face another challenge.

Crossroads Mall in south Oklahoma City is fighting the rumor that it is closing during the holiday season.

“We have heard that some rumors exist that we are closed, but what people to need to know is that it is business as usual at Crossroads Mall,” Jim Swenson, Crossroads Mall property manager, said.

Swenson said the rumors began when the four large department stores in the mall moved out.

Currently, all four large department store spots sit empty where at one time Macy’s, Dillard’s, Ward’s and JCPenney use to operate.

“We may not have all of our stores, but the mall is still open,” Swenson said. “We still have great stores that offer good deals on great products. Not to mention, Santa is here, too. We are open for business and alive and well this holiday season.”

Swenson said many assume the mall is closing because the four large department stores are empty and the mall is currently up for sale.

Employees working inside Crossroads said they are relying on faithful customers who have shopped with them in the past to keep their stores in business.

“Obviously, not having those big stores looks bad,” said Stephania Schrodera, Zales Jewelers sales associate. “We have to keep in mind that there are other malls in Oklahoma City that are doing worse than us, and they are still in business.”

Schrodera said she is hoping a good investor will buy the mall and turn it around.

“I know this mall has the potential to be good again,” Schrodera said. “We just have to find the right buyer and get a good marketing team in place. But at the moment, we just have to hang on to the clientele that we have

RICKY MARANON/THE DAILY

Oklahoma City’s Crossroads Mall, above, is fighting rumors that it will close during the holiday season. The mall has lost all of its four large department stores, and many, like the former Macy’s store (inset) sit empty. and keep providing them a service that they will want.”

But whether or not stores will see a bounce in profits this holiday season is still up in the air.

“The current economic situation has definitely affected our profit expectations,” said Jenny Milner, bookkeeper at the prom dress store Laughing Fish. “But with people thinking the mall is closed when it obviously isn’t, I don’t think the holidays will give our profits

a boost at all.”

Schrodera and Swenson said they expect some improvement in profit margins, but they weren’t sure how much it would be.

“Our biggest shopping season has always been the day after Thanksgiving all the way up to Christmas Eve,” Swenson said. “What we have seen since the economic downturn began is that people are buying things that are less luxurious and grand. But they are still buying things, and most of that shopping

takes place in the 10 days before Christmas.”

But the rumor of closure is not the first rumor Crossroads Mall has faced.

“Many people say, ‘Don’t come to Crossroads, or you’ll be mugged or shot’, but in all of my time here, nothing bad has happened to me or anyone else who has visited this mall,” Milner said. “It is unfortunate that these rumors have affected this mall so CROSSROADS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

Nonreligious students find joy in the Christmas season NATASHA GOODELL Daily Staff Writer

Despite some misconceptions about nonreligious students ignoring the Christmas holiday, some find this day to be significant in its ideals of family and Christmas cheer.

“I still think it’s a great time for family and being close to the ones you love,” said Aric Yarberry, architecture junior.

Although he is agnostic, Yarberry’s entire family is Christian and celebrates Christmas, he said. He said he eats and exchanges gifts with his entire family Christmas day.

“I would enjoy Christmas for the sentimental value,” Yarberry said. “My family has celebrated it every year since I was born.”

Yarberry said he enjoys the secular Christmas more than the religious one.

“One of my arguments for justifying my celebration of Christmas is that it isn’t just the celebration of Christ because it’s the celebration of the winter solstice, and other pagan religions have celebrated it before Christ,” Yarberry said.

He said he thinks giving gifts and spreading Christmas

cheer is sometimes better than going to church.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be about ‘keeping Christ in Christmas,’” Yarberry said. “I think it’s something that transcends all of that.”

Yarberry said he thinks the winter holidays are equally valid, but he said he chooses to say ‘Merry Christmas’ despite the ‘happy holidays’ phrasing now being incorporated into the season.

“Sometimes I go to the Christmas church service,” Yarberry said. “I don’t have any objections to beautiful Christmas decorations.

“I just have a problem believing that one religion is the only religion.”

Peter Schiller, architecture junior, said his family doesn’t celebrate Christmas anymore.

“We celebrated it when I was younger, not with any religious aspect, but more of the secular aspect,” Schiller said.

“If there are presents to be exchanged, it usually happens on December 25.”

Schiller said a lot of Christmas traditions, like Christmas trees, come from pagan origins but said he enjoys the holiday.

“I really like the holiday,” Schiller said. “I’m not religious at all, but I feel like I like Christmas like most people like Christmas, even the religious ones, for things like Christmas music, food and family.”

Ryan Welch, University College freshman, said he would consider himself agnostic.

“Saying that you know there is no god would be adopting the same arrogant certitude that religion consists of when they claim they know what happens when you die,” Welch said.

“There is no way of knowing. I don’t have a way of knowing that there is no god, so I can’t say that I’m sure.”

Welch, like Yarberry, said his family celebrates Christmas but he doesn’t celebrate the “Christian” Christmas.

“Being an atheist during Christmas time is really complicated right now in America,” Welch said. “Some atheists think that we should not celebrate it, some do, but it should be a more secularized version.”

Welch said Christmas has become more secular over time and he said he sees a lot of people who are upset about it.

“Personally, I feel that it’s fine to celebrate the holidays,” he said.

2A

FINALS WEEK, Dec. 14-18, 2009

Meredith Moriak managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 325-3666 • fax: 325-6051

Finals Week means pajamas, comfy clothes acceptable HILLARY ATKINSON Contributing Writer

This finals week, look around you. Pay no attention to the glazed eyes or caffeine’s obvious side effects. Instead, look at the fashion.

You just might notice a trend.

“Let’s face it, we have all been there and have even looked forward to an excuse for dressing in basically our PJs for a week,” said Sarah Corley, a fashion blogger in Oklahoma City. “It is accepted because everyone does it!”

During finals week, students generally pay more attention to exams and papers than jeans and shirts. Trends flood campus all semester, but during finals week, most students leave the trends behind and create a new one: comfort.

As finals week begins, many students have long study sessions that overflow into the early morning. They sleep less and drink more caffeine, and when it comes to fashion, they practice apathy. As the semester nears its end, the focus of students often shifts from self-appearance to academia.

“During finals week, fashion is the last thing on anyone’s mind,” said Johnna Avis, elementary education junior. “There’s too much studying for that.”

During fall finals week, students dress down but bundle up as they brave the cold to take exams; and for some, finals week is just an excuse to wear anything with an elastic waist all day, every day.

Corley said that while she was in college, she tried to dress nicely for her finals to change her mindset.

“I don’t have any statistics to show that I did better because I dressed up, but I know that it made me feel better,” Corley said.

Avis works in the library and notices the comfortable clothes of finals week.

But she also has heard clothing can affect confidence.

“I’ve heard that if you take the time to get ready for the day before a test, you’ll do better on it,” Avis said.

Corley said some finals can call for comfortable clothes.

“Those are the times when sleep or lastminute cramming is more important than looking like a movie star,” she said.

But Corley said she usually added something to her comfy look, like a headband or big earrings.

“No matter what, I would always make time for a little eyeliner and a few sweeps of mascara,” she said. “Even if I was tired, I

Cuts to mental health funding being felt OKLAHOMA CITY — More spending reductions have been ordered for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, which could mean the loss of funding for 120 beds for people who need treatment.

The agency has cut $16 million from its budget since July. Another 5 percent cut has been ordered for the balance of the fiscal year. The initial cut closed 28 mentalhealth beds at Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman.

Agency officials say another 120 statefunded beds may have to close, including 40 for children with severe mental disorders.

Another 18 beds at a men’s treatment center in Tahlequah are among those

targeted.

About 100 state employees stand to lose their jobs.

“These decisions we’re being forced to make are the things that keep us from sleeping at night,” State Mental Health Commissioner Terri White said.

Su s a n B o e h re r, d i re c t o r o f t h e Oklahoma Federation of Families for Youth and Children’s Mental Health, has a child who needed repeated treatment in a psychiatric hospital. Boehrer said a threemonth stay cost the family $54,000.

“We did all the right things. We both worked. We paid our health insurance premiums every month. And still, we couldn’t afford her care,” Boehrer said.

—AP

PHOTO BY PHOTOS.COM

Finals can provide students with a week-long excuse for wearing sweatpants, T-shirts and other comfy clothes, said Sarah Corley, a fashion blogger in Oklahoma City. didn’t want my professors to see it in my scary face!”

Corley also says not to wear the clothes you slept in to take a final.

As the semester ends, most students will

pack up their belongings, tuck their pants into their boots and head home. But before that, they’ll experience a campus-wide understanding that wearing pajama pants in public is OK, if only for a week.

CROSSROADS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1

shopper Roger Ratliff said.

“We got here today and half the stores are closed, and you can practically get a parking space next to the front door. This mall used to have it all, and now you can barely find anything.”

However, the customers what Schrodera said about clientele keeping the mall alive.

“I came here to get a tuxedo,” Vandiver said. “There is a store right here in the mall that I like, and so I stopped in to reserve one today.”

Ratliff said he and his wife went to Crossroads Mall because they saw an advertisement for a good deal on a Christmas present.

“We saw an ad that we just couldn’t pass up,” Ratliff said. “If it wasn’t for the good deals, we probably would not have come out to the mall at all.”

much.”

Schrodera said Crossroads Mall is not the place to find criminal activity.

“If people would look beyond the rumors of crime and closure, they would see that we really are a good mall,” Schrodera said.

Customers shopping at Crossroads Mall were not so optimistic about the mall’s future and reputation.

“Look at this place,” said Patrick Vandiver, who was shopping at the mall. “They say this place isn’t closing and most of the stores are empty.”

Other customers said they remember when the mall’s business was booming.

“I was telling my wife as we walked in, I remember when you had to park far away because so many people shopped here,”

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3A

FINALS WEEK, Dec. 14-18, 2009

Will Holland, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

A progress report for the commander-in-chief We are now closing in on the one-year anniversary of the election of this nation’s first black president.

Now we must start bickering about his successes and shortcomings in order to make our own political orientations (or racism, as the case may be) look better.

After all, we are closing in on another election year.

There is no question: Obama inherited the largTRAVIS GROGAN est pile of the proverbial “bull excrement” from the previous administration of any president in a very long time.

I did not expect anyone to be able to move into the White House and immediately fix two disastrous wars, a worldwide economic collapse, a failed health care system, skyrocketing national debt, ridiculous tax policies, a virtually non-existent energy policy and a general ethical standing in the world akin to that of a dim-witted antichrist.

But this does not mean that we should not hold Obama to scrutiny based on his campaign promises. Yes, he still has a long way to go before his first term is up.

In the meantime, though, I think it would be helpful to fill out a little progress report, if only to allow us to put things in perspective.

‘The Iraq fiasco’ As far as the Iraq fiasco goes, Obama seems to be holding more or less to his campaign promises … for now.

The president promised to “safely and responsibly” end combat operations in Iraq within 16 months. He added a couple months onto that timeline shortly after taking office and declared that by Aug. 31, 2010, we would have 35,000 to 50,000 troops stationed in the country for the purposes of training, equipping and advising the Iraqi Security Forces which would then assume full responsibility.

This would mean close to 100,000 troops would be getting out of that hellhole the

‘I would like to base my judgment on the leader of my country on more than his being literate. I want someone who can get the right things done.’

— TRAVIS GROGAN

Western world has created in that country.

Hopefully Obama sticks to his guns on this one, and a year from now we get to see a few less ribbons on doors around the holidays.

Afghanistan Regarding Afghanistan, I will give Obama credit for holding to his promise and then some.

During his campaign, Obama pledged to send two more brigades of troops into the country, and he did. Then he sent 30,000 more troops.

Now, I do think we should do everything that we can to salvage some sense of victory in the region.

However, I begin to wonder about our strategy when the U.S. military feels the need to remind those in charge that we still have not caught Osama bin Laden and that al-Qaeda will be a persistent threat in the region until he is captured or killed.

I would also like to see an outline of what “victory” or “success” actually entails. The current estimates of al-Qaeda in the country place its membership somewhere around 100 people. When exactly should we turn our national security back over to the people in the intelligence community?

Gitmo: ‘Failure’ In a related issue, Obama has admitted that he is going to miss his own deadline for having Guantanamo Bay closed by January 2010.

Although the president did sign an executive order that bans the use of torture and provides further oversight on the practice of extreme rendition, Gitmo is still a sordid black mark on the image of this nation.

This missed deadline is one of the biggest failures of Obama’s first year.

Another failure of our Commanderin-Chief lies in the current standing of the absolutely ridiculous “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the military. I understand wanting to prioritize things, but I am really sick of seeing sorely needed Arabic translators kicked out of the armed services for something as trivial and stupid as their sexual orientation.

world behind for our children to inherit.

Tens of billions of dollars of the economic stimulus are going towards renewable/efficient forms of energy. Tax credits are projected to help spur more than $100 billion in private sector investments.

And we’re trying this crazy new approach that actually involves talking to other countries about global climate change. It’s a radical idea, I know, but it seems to be working.

The economy

Healthcare

The economy issue is anyone’s guess.

The stock market has stabilized relatively, but unemployment is climbing. Bailout money was spent to help people keep their houses, but it was also spent on $18 million government Web sites, non-existent congressional districts and the vile scum at Goldman-Sachs who screwed us in the first place. I think this will have to go under the “wait-and-see” category.

On the plus side, though, we should see an increase in government revenue starting in 2011. Obama has announced that he intends to help fund his socialist health, energy, and education programs by getting rid of the idiotic “Reaganomics” tax cuts for the top 1 percent that were implemented by the Bush administration.

If you still think the “trickle-down” rationalization for Republican tax cuts holds water, then I would advise taking a gander at our economy during the Reagan, Clinton and Bush administrations.

Keep in mind: Clinton raised taxes on the top 1 percent, too.

Finally, there is healthcare. I do not have the slightest idea what to think about Obama’s performance regarding this first year key issue anymore.

I admired his speeches. I admired his ability to tackle baseless criticisms openly. I detested some of the half-truths he utilized.

I hated his inability to get his party behind him to make sure that no more Americans are forced into bankruptcy because of despicable insurance bureaucrats employed to connive against their clients in order to maximize profits off of human suffering.

Now I fear that democratic dissention, combined with Republican stall tactics, are going to leave me unable to obtain or pay for insurance based on pre-existing conditions.

Don’t get me wrong; this has been a great year for this country. But any year would have looked great after the oil fire that was the Bush presidency.

I would like to base my judgment on the leader of my country on more than his being literate. I want someone who can get the right things done. So I’ll give Obama the benefit of the doubt for now.

But as any senior on this campus can tell you, four years goes by quickly.

Don’t ask, don’t tell

Climate change And if Clinton’s V.P. hadn’t been undercut by a farce of a Supreme Court case, we might have already figured this global warming thing out.

But as it stands, Obama is doing a good job making sure that he actually leaves a

Travis Grogan is a political science and communications senior

4A

Finals Week

Will Holland, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

A return to Bobo’s Chicken Writer learns from adversity after controversial column About three months ago, I wrote a column for The Oklahoma Daily about Bobo’s Chicken, an Oklahoma City concession trailer.

I thought it would be a column about my experience and reaction to this urban legend.

What it turned into was my first true test as a journalist.

Bobo’s is located on NE 23rd Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard in Oklahoma City, a predominantly black neighborhood.

Ac c o rd i n g t o t h e Ne w s 9 C r i m e Tracker, which pulls data from official police reports, the neighborhood shows higher rates of burglary, assault and other crimes than most other areas in the city.

KYLE Though located in a more dangerous WEST part of town, Bobo’s has a reputation for making amazing fried chicken.

I took six friends with me. We went, came back and I wrote my column. It all seemed fine.

But the aftermath was painful and frustrating.

In the column, I described my trip in language that offended many people. Though it was meant to be hyperbole, many people did not appreciate me treating the subject where race was concerned so blithely.

I said there had been a drive-by at Bobo’s in the recent past and that gangsters were drawn there like iron filings to a magnet. I said one of the risks of going there was possibly lying dead in a gutter.

It was all tongue in cheek, but for many it was tasteless.

But at the time, I didn’t realize that. I never meant to offend anyone.

I received my first hate mail at around 8 the morning the column was published. It said I was a racist and had no future in journalism.

I thought the judgment was a little extreme. But similar e-mails kept coming in and continued to fill my inbox for the next few weeks.

Coming to terms That negative reaction made me look inside myself.

Was I racist? Did I believe all the prejudices I was accused of holding? Was I a racist in remission?

I obsessed about these things in the days following the column.

My intention wasn’t to be a racist. I made a huge mistake, a mistake that set into motion all my trials and everything I’ve learned through them.

The next day, I met with my professional writing professor, Mel Odom, who never misses an opportunity to tell his students how much they still have to learn.

“Any time you talk about race as a white male, you’re walking a tightrope,” Mel said. “And as a writer, you’re going to ruffle feathers. And that’s what you did – you ruffled a lot of feathers. What you said didn’t click with the way others see the world.”

From Mel, I learned everyone has prejudices. We grow up with them; we learn them from the media, our schools and our parents.

This doesn’t make them right, but it is nonetheless a fact. And it is a fact that we have to put those behind us as we grow.

Like everyone, I have prejudices when going to new places, especially places that could be dangerous. But unlike most people, my prejudice got printed in a newspaper that is read by thousands of people.

It would take me a long time to fully recover my confidence in my writing, Mel told me. I could either grow from what had happened or close off.

And believe me, I wanted to learn from that first story — I just didn’t know how to go about that yet. I felt like there was nothing I could do to fix it. I just hoped that, in time, people would forget about it and move on.

I hoped I could learn a lesson — never write anything that might make people upset, offend them or make them think.

But, fortunately, that wasn’t the lesson I was supposed to learn.

My change of attitude started with Mel, but someone else, Scott Carter, helped me find a way out.

I know Scott through my professional writing classes.

He wrote for The Norman Transcript and now writes for The Journal Record. He has a wall full of well-deserved awards and more than 20 years of newspaper experience.

“You have to go back to that neighborhood and find a story,” he told me. “As a journalist, you’re going to make mistakes. People will hate you and spit on you, so much so that when you come home you can’t do anything but curse them under your breath.

“But you can’t stop. You’ve got to keep writing because the moment you stop writing is the moment you give up.”

Scott and Mel both offered to go with me back to Bobo’s and find another story.

Hoping it would pass I said I’d think about it.

Several weeks passed. Not a day went by where I didn’t think about going back. I hoped I could avoid it.

I made the task larger than it really was. All I could see were the accusers pointing me out, telling me I was wrong. I had hoped the feelings of guilt, frustration and anger would go away.

But they didn’t. I knew I had to do something about those feelings before they turned into bitterness.

I had to stop blaming others and try to make the best of this. I had to take control.

ARCHIVE PHOTO/THE DAILY

Customers wait outside Bobo’s Chicken in Oklahoma City early this fall. Bobo’s is located at NE 23rd Street and Martin Luther King.

I got out my phone and sent a text message to Mel and Scott.

We were going back.

The return to Bobo’s Mel and I pull into the dirt parking lot. It’s emptier than last time, and much colder.

But the trailer’s still there, and the floodlights still push back the night.

I get out and walk to Scott’s car. When he gets out, I expect some advice. But all he tells me is to do my best.

I think that’s all I needed anyway.

I have my reporter’s notebook with a list of pre-written questions. I don’t normally do that, but tonight I don’t want to make any mistakes. But it turns out that I won’t need any of those questions to find the real story.

Strange as it may sound, it feels good to be back, despite the freezing cold and wind. It’s the first cold night of the year, and my breath comes out in clouds. I feel calm and purposeful, like I have the power to push back all that has come against me in previous weeks.

Now, all I have to do is talk to some people who might not be too happy to talk.

“Just do your best,” Scott reminds me.

Bobo’s looks a bit different at 11:30 p.m. than it does at 2:30 a.m. The loud beats and constant yelling from carloads of people are completely absent. The generator has no competition as it rattles and hums beside the trailer.

I walk close to the trailer. The smell of frying chicken hits my nostrils, spicy and warm in the cold air. The grease crackles and spits from the fryers behind the open windows.

My first interview is with Charles Ward, the armed security guard hired by Bobo’s. He stands dutifully by the trailer. Ward says he has worked at Bobo’s for three months. I ask him what it’s like to work here every Friday and Saturday night.

He doesn’t beat around the bush.

“It’s safe,” he says. “People can come and get their chicken and have a good time. They’re not afraid of nothing. I’m not going to let anything happen to nobody ... I’m here for the safety of the people.”

My first trip, I didn’t feel safe. I knew in my head nothing would happen to me. Let’s face it, I was far more likely to die in a car wreck on the way there.

But on this return trip, that anxiety is gone. Any time you go to a new place, there’s that natural anxiety. But now I can appreciate the experience.

Customers Scott has found a couple of Oklahoma City University students and hands them off to me to interview.

Richard Rare is with his friend Zack Miller, both first timers.

“It’s not a place you’d normally go after 9,” Rare says.

“It’s a pilgrimage. This is my first pilgrimage, if you will, to Bobo’s.”

Miller agrees.

“I’ve eaten a lot of chicken, but it’s different from anything I’ve seen before.”

Part of what makes Bobo’s stand out is its unique fried chicken recipe. The cooks smoke the wings before deep frying them. Then they cover them with honey.

It’s the best fried chicken I’ve tasted in the city, and rivals Eischen’s in Okarche for best in the state.

And the seafood is nothing to sneeze at either. The catfish falls apart in your mouth, and the shrimp is the best I’ve tasted this far north from the Gulf.

And coming from the Gulf Coast, I know seafood.

They could cook in a five star restaurant. With its honeycovered spicy fries and sweet pastries, there is not a better or more unique meal after 9 p.m. when Waffle House just won’t cut it. And you can have it at a price that’s anything but five stars.

Miller says Bobo’s character is what makes it stand out.

“You know it’s real,” he says. “It’s a couple guys in a trailer on the side of the road. How much more real could you get?”

Rare and Miller leave, but I have to stay in the cold a

little while longer. There are a couple more interviews I need to do.

I get in line and talk to Brichette Reid. She is an OU public relations major and an African-American. I tell her I’m writing a story about the restaurant and want to get her thoughts.

“You’re not that guy, are you?”

They are the words I’ve been dreading for weeks. I tell her that, yes, I am “that guy.”

But when I ask her help to correct the mistake I made, she agrees to talk to me.

“It’s cool,” she says. “It reminds me a little bit of home.

I’m from D.C. The area doesn’t scare me or anything.”

Reid says she is excited about tasting the chicken she has heard so much about. Tonight is her first time there.

“I was really hungry after the game, and I wanted to see what they hype was about,” she says. “I’ve been talking about coming for weeks.”

When the interview is over, I’m next in line. The part I’m most nervous about is fast approaching — talking to the owner.

‘The part I’m most nervous about’ I step up, asking if it would be OK to ask questions. He tells me to step to the side and talk to the guy working the fryers. He’s the owner.

I step over. The owner looks tall up in the trailer. He doesn’t look my way. He’s intent on dropping chicken and fries in the bubbling, hissing grease.

“Can I ask a few questions?”

At first, I’m not sure he hears me. I ask again, and he turns. I freeze for a moment when I realize I am face-toface with the man who has read my previous column and dislikes it greatly.

He says he doesn’t want to talk to me. That hurts, and it shakes my confidence big time.

But I know I can’t back off.

I look him in the eye and tell him why I’m here. I tell him I’m here to do a better job of getting the story, that I’m sorry I got things wrong the first time. I ask him to help me correct my mistake.

His face softens. Still, he says he doesn’t want to comment but appreciates me coming back.

“Don’t feel bad about it,” he says. “You’ve had your time to feel bad.”

I tell him I respect that and thank him. I step back and go to Scott’s car, where he and Mel are taking shelter from the cold. A great weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

Mel gets back in line with me and buys me the best shrimp in Oklahoma. When we get back to the car, I open the box. I’ve been given three extra shrimp.

When I get in Scott’s car to eat,both he and Mel say they’re proud of me.

“You’ve done something many reporters would be too afraid to do,” Scott says. “You got brass balls, buddy.”

It means a lot, coming from him.

The ‘real story’ After eating and talking a bit, Mel and I drive back to Moore. On the way home, we talk about what I learned.

By going to back to Bobo’s, I found the real story. But little did I know at the time, the real story ended up being my story – the story of my mistakes, facing my fears and growing as a journalist.

It feels good knowing, really knowing, that you have the power to make the best of something, especially when you feel all your power has been stripped away. We kid ourselves that we have no power over bad situations, that we can’t control our fates, that some things are too big. It isn’t true. By going back to Bobo’s, I was able to overcome something I thought beyond my control: my fear that I wasn’t going to measure up as a journalist.

That lesson was something I couldn’t have learned on my own. In a way, I’m thankful for all the adversity.

Without it, I couldn’t have learned this invaluable truth.

But I’m more thankful to those who helped me use this adversity to become a better reporter and person.

And to those who helped me see it, I’m eternally grateful.

FINALS WEEK, Dec. 14-18, 2009

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FAVORITE TOYS OF THE ‘90S CHILDHOOD MEREDITH MORIAK Managing Editor

The holiday season makes me nostalgic. I find myself reflecting on the past and sharing memories with others. I love talking with friends about their favorite Christmas presents, and when I started a conversation about toys in the newsroom, the idea for this column surfaced. After much debate and discussion, I have compiled a list of what I consider the top 10 toys that were released during the 1990s.

10. Growing up, I always loved getting books and was especially fascinated by Ann M. Martin’s Baby-Sitters’ Club books. This series, along with the Goosebumps, Animorphs and the Choose Your Own Adventure series’, were highly influential on me.

9. One of the best toys I ever received was my purple Skip-It. Who could have imagined a ball on a plastic rope would send kids into the backyard to hop for hours. My friends and I always had a contest to see who could skip the fastest or the longest. It makes me proud to know this toy is still on the market today.

8. For a young girl, every time I read a new book from the American Girl series, it was a simultaneous mixture of making a new friend in the character and learning about a historical time period. I favored Molly because she tap-danced and wore glasses like me. One of my favorite presents of all time was getting my very own American Girl doll. Her name was Meredith, and she was part of the “American Girl of Today” line that consisted of made-toorder dolls that looked just like their owner.

7. In my opinion, Furby is the creepiest, scariest and stupidest toy ever made.

I hesitated to put it on the list because it isn’t a top toy that was fun to play with (I still feel bad my parents paid $25 for a turquoise fur ball to sit in my closet), but rather because it was a craze and everyone had one. It makes me happy to know this toy is NOT on the market today.

6. I’m clueless when it comes to Pokémon and Digimon, but everyone else seems to agree these Japanese-inspired games were awesome.

I remember friends trying to sneak their banned Pokémon cards into school and others reading Digimon manga books backwards. They were a defining part of childhood for many.

5. The game of Pogs, where you sit in a circle with others, bet cardboard circles and then rely on a “slammer” to work in your favor, introduced

Kwanzaa holiday helps celebrators reconnect with culture, heritage LUKE ATKINSON Daily Staff Writer

A winter’s chill settles in, students are preparing to use the holiday break to reconnect with family and friends.

And those who celebrate Kwanzaa will also reconnect with ancestry and heritage.

Kwanzaa, which is observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 every year, honors African heritage and culture. Each day of Kwanzaa represents a different value attributed to the holiday.

Each day is marked by lighting candles in a candle holder called a kinara.

Melanie Bratcher, an African and AfricanAmerican Studies professor, said she celebrated Kwanzaa when she was in graduate school in Pennsylvania.

“We literally went through the seven day ritual, saying greetings, giving handmade gifts and books,” Bratcher said.

The Nguzo Saba are seven principles practiced during the holiday to strengthen community ties and individual qualities, according to officialkwanzaawebsite.org.

These principles are woven into the celebration along with several symbols based off of the Swahili celebration of the harvest. Gifts are exchanged and are often handmade and related to heritage.

The holiday was founded in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, who is currently a

professor of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach.

Karenga created the celebration to preserve and promote African heritage.

Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, which allows anyone of any religious background to have the opportunity to celebrate.

“Kwanzaa was created to help African Americans who have been separated from the consciousness of the culture,” Bratcher said. “It was a means to facilitate cultural identity and having some pride in that.”

The message behind this year’s holiday still reflects the spirit of its origins in the 1960s, Karenga stated on the Web site.

“Our task, then, even in this emerging era of great expectation, is as it has always been and remains: to know our past and honor it; to engage our present and improve it; and to imagine our future and forge it in the most effective, expansive and ethically grounded ways,” Karenga wrote in his annual founder’s message.

Bratcher said she hopes everyone can learn from Kwanzaa even though it is an African-American holiday.

“Even though it was created for AfricanAmerican practice, I would encourage everyone to investigate the principles and how they can make us better world citizens,” Bratcher said.

me to the idea of gambling. It wasn’t a necessary skill to learn at age 6, but I loved sifting through bins and bins of pogs at Michael’s before selecting the perfect ones to put inside my fluorescent pink case. Looking back, it was a ridiculous and pointless game that allowed my older brother to take things from me without technically stealing.

4. The best phenomenon of my childhood was the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Anyone who was in grade school in the mid-1990s had their favorite Power Ranger and probably dressed as them one Halloween. I, just like 93 percent of the girls in this world, was a fan of Kimberly, the pink Power Ranger.

It was so interesting how they went from hip teens to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

3. And then there was the Beanie Baby fad. People stood in line for hours to get specialty ones, families ate at McDonald’s for weeks on endt to collect all of the Teenie Beanies, and it was the universal gift for girls. It makes me wonder what happened to all of those little, plush cuddlies now that they aren’t so popular anymore.

2. Although I’ve never been much of a gamer, I do remember my family owning a Nintendo while I was growing up.

There was something magical about playing games on the television and shooting ducks with fake orange guns. As time and technology progressed, we were graced with things like Game Boy, Sega Genesis, N-64 and PlayStation. We’re the first generation to grow up playing video games, and it’s crazy to think how far they’ve come.

1. Lastly, I consider the virtual pets, known as Gigapets and Tamagotchis to be the best childhood toys of our generation.

The idea of a video game pet on a keychain that can be stuffed into a pocket was attractive to everyone.

Parents scoured stores looking for these techie toys, relieved that they could put off buying a real puppy one more year.

6A

FINALS WEEK, Dec. 14-18, 2009

Gay mayor-elect: Victory shows Houston’s diversity Police Department and the financial constraints faced by the city.

Then, she paused to reflect on the significance of the election, which made Houston the largest U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor.

“It’s a historic election for my community, and I believe an election that will change some people’s minds about the city of Houston,” said Parker, 53.

“It’s a diverse, international city that welcomes everyone.”

Parker, who began her political career as a gay activist, rose through the ranks of local politics to serve first on city council, then as city controller.

“I realize that I’m a role model, but I’ve been a role AP PHOTO model for my community Houston Mayor-elect Annise Parker, center, smiles at her partner, Kathy Hubbard, left, as they cel- for 30 years,” she said. “It’s part of who I am, and I believe ebrate Parker’s runoff election victory at a campaign party Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 in Houston. it makes me a better representative for the city of Houston.”

HOUSTON — The day after Houston voters chose Annise Parker defeated former city attorney Gene Locke, 61, with Parker to become the city’s first openly gay mayor, she did as she had throughout a contentious, hard-fought campaign: 53.6 percent of the vote Saturday in a race that had a turnout focused on the brick-and-mortar realities of running the of only 16.5 percent. Locke had hoped to become the city’s second black mayor. country’s fourth largest city.

A little more than 152,000 residents turned out to cast balParker told a Sunday press conference about her transition team, her plans to change the running of the Houston lots in the city, which has a population of 2.2 million. Of those

voters, 81,743 chose Parker — some 11,000 more than voted for Locke. About 60,000 residents identify themselves as gay or lesbian.

A call to Locke’s campaign was not immediately returned.

Parker’s victory comes after several setbacks for gay rights activists. New York lawmakers earlier this month rejected a bill that would have made their state the sixth to allow marriage between same-sex couples. In November, Maine voters repealed the Legislature’s passage of a state law allowing same-sex marriage there.

Several smaller U.S. cities, including Portland, Ore., Providence, R.I., and Cambridge, Mass., have openly gay mayors.

Parker has not made a secret or an issue of her sexual orientation during this campaign or any of her previous runs for city office. Nevertheless, it became the focus of the election race after anti-gay activists and conservative religious groups endorsed Locke and sent out mailers condemning Parker’s “homosexual behavior.”

The race was also closely watched by gay and lesbian rights organizations around the country, which endorsed Parker, contributed money to her campaign and staged get-out-thevote phone banks.

“We think Annise Parker will be a fantastic mayor for Houston, and the increased visibility that comes with that would help our community,” said Jenna Lowenstein, communications director for the Stonewall Democrats, a national gay and lesbian political organization.

On Sunday, a glowing Parker dismissed the attacks by the anti-gay activists, saying they have been waging “the same ugly divisive campaigns attacking my community for a long time.”

“I’m proud that the city of Houston has grown and matured, even though they have not,” said Parker, who said she celebrated her victory with a bubble bath.

Parker’s term starts Jan. 1.

— AP

Volunteering can add experience, purpose to holiday breaks SPENCER POPP Contributing Writer

With finals week upon us, free time is not on the forefront of many student’s minds.

But after the storm of academic obligations and stressful exams has passed, a month off from school offers many possibilities for students looking for something to fill their time.

One opportunity that lends experience and purpose is volunteering For students with complicated schedules or unable to find a job, the ease of choosing when and what you would like do makes volunteering an intriguing option. Whether it’s with a local animal shelter or mentor programs like Big Brother, Big Sister, helping a non-profit has benefits for both the volunteer and organization, said Kari Dawkins, student affairs volunteer coordinator.

“The typical student doesn’t realize that volunteerism can

be used in so many ways,” Dawkins said. “Good work will get you someplace. With the recession, many support staffs are being let go. The funds are not there. Help is needed.”

One of the organizations in need is Habitat for Humanity.

The global Christian non-profit builds houses for low-income families who then pay back the cost of the build over time with no interest.

People looking to get involved can find local affiliate chapters spread across Oklahoma and many other communities in the US. In Cleveland County, helping out at the reSTORE, a store which collects donations of building materials and appliances to sell and working on the building projects, are important jobs mainly filled by volunteers, said Jamie Johnson, volunteer coordinator for Habitat for Humanity.

“The holidays are such a busy time for us here and the organization has so many things going on,” Johnson said. “Any support from the OU community around this time, volunteering or donations, can really make a difference.”

Sean Kramer, business junior, said he enjoyed his

experience working at the Cleveland County reSTORE last summer and plans to voluneer again when his schedule dies down.

“I think there are many benefits to working there,” he said.

“Not only are you helping a good cause, but volunteering is something you can put on a resume and possibly inquire later about getting a recommendation letter. I even found a cheap washer and dryer there for my apartment.”

The OU Leadership and Volunteerism Web site, leadandvolunteer.ou.edu, contains volunteer listings from around Oklahoma for students based on what they are interested in doing. Also on the Web site is a section for immediate needs, where students can find organizations that are holding volunteer events in the near future, said Dawkins.

Through the Web site and volunteer office, students can find organizations that will best put their interests and abilities to work, possibly helping them gain valuable communication skills and work experience for the future, Dawkins said.

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Annnelise Russell, sports editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 325-3666 • fax: 325-6051

FINALS WEEK, Dec 14-18, 2009

It was the best of times...

...and the worst of times

JONO GRECO Daily Staff Writer

OU’s football season was nowhere near what most Sooners expected.

The Sooners were No. 3 in the nation at the beginning of the season and had a realistic shot of making the national championship game again. But now, they’re trying to avoid a six-loss season with a win in their upcoming bowl game, the Brut Sun Bowl, in which they will face Stanford on Dec. 31 in El Paso, Texas.

Though the season is not officially over, some moments do stick out as the best and worst for the Sooners.

Three Worst Moments

Three Best Moments

Merrill Jones/The Daily

Heisman-winning quarterback Sam Bradford injured his right, throwing shoulder twice this season.

1. Injuries This did not just occur in one moment but was a recurring theme for the season.

It is not a secret this season took a turn for the worst when senior tight end Jermaine Gresham and Bradford went down for the season. The offense lost a lot of its firepower by losing those two, but OU lost multiple other players temporarily and for the season. It is unknown how the Sooners would have fared had they not sustained the injuries they did, but it is safe to say they would have had at least three fewer losses.

The Sooners defeated Oklahoma State 27-0 on Nov. 28 in Norman.

Eli Hull/The Daily

2. Jones’ five-interception debacle

Freshman quarterback Landry Jones went through some growing pains on the road this season, but his worst performance came during the 3-10 loss against Nebraska.

Before this game, the Sooners were on the brink of their first .500 regular season during head Jones completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw five interceptions – some of coach Bob Stoops’ tenure at OU, and they responded with their first complete performance which ended possible scoring opportunities. Jones took the loss and performance hard and of the season. The defense dominated all phases of the game. The special teams were led by was unable to put together a good game in the Sooners’ only remaining road trip. freshman punter Tress Way and sophomore wide receiver Ryan Broyles.

3. Third time’s a charm for Tech at home 2. Bradford’s return in the Baylor game The Red Raiders got a little revenge on OU, who ended Texas Tech’s national championship Heisman-winning quarterback Sam Bradford only played one full game in 2009, so it was fit- run last season. This year, Tech beat up the visiting Sooners 41-13. OU’s offense could not put ting that game was played at Owen Field. He showed flashes of what Sooner fans had gotten anything together and was kept out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. But the story of used to since the beginning of the 2007 season by completing 27 of 49 passes for 389 yards with the game was the defense’s inability to stop the Red Raiders’ offense. The defense allowed 41 points, 549 total yards, 388 passing yards and 161 rushing yards – all of which were season one touchdown en route to a 33-7 victory. highs. The defense looked like it had given up during the third quarter but rebounded the following week against Oklahoma State to record the Sooners’ third shutout of the season.

3. Bradford’s farewell speech 1. Shutting out Oklahoma State

Though it was Senior Day, Bradford made his own farewell video that was played in front of the crowd at the Bedlam game. This was a touching moment that should be used as a tribute and a token of gratitude toward Bradford.

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FINALS WEEK, Dec 14-18, 2009

Men’s cross-country team places 12th at NCAA championship RYAN QUERBACH Daily Staff Writer

LILY CHAPA/THE DAILY

The OU wrestling team is the third-highest-ranked in the Big 12 the no. 10 team nationally.

Sooner wrestlers to enter winter break with high conference, national rankings MJ CASIANO Daily Staff Writer

After an impressive start to the season, the OU wrestling team will head into winter break with a top 10 ranking.

OU (4-0-1) is ranked No. 10 by InterMat. OU tied thenNo. 3 Oklahoma State 16-16 Dec. 1, then finished third at the Cliff Keen Invitational last weekend in Primm, Nev. OU is now the

third- highest ranked Big 12 team. Only No. 2 Iowa State and No. 4 Oklahoma State are ranked higher.

The Sooners boast eight wrestlers ranked in InterMat’s Top 20, including the Big 12 Wrestler of the Month, No. 4 Eric Lapotsky (13-1) at 197 pounds.

Other ranked Sooners i n c l u d e : No. 1 1 Ja r ro d Patterson (14-3) at 125 pounds, No. 4 Zach Bailey

(10-4) at 141 pounds, No. 5 Kyle Terry (11-2) at 149 pounds, No. 7 Shane Vernon (11-2) at 157 pounds, No. 18 Tyler Caldwell (12-5) at 165 pounds, No. 8 Jeff James (13-2) at 174 pounds, and No. 9 Nathan Fernandez (16-4) at heavyweight.

The squad will return to action Jan. 3 when California Polytechnic State University visits the Howard McCasland Field House in Norman.

Okla. thoroughbred struggling to live OKLAHOMA CITY — The all-time leading money winner among Oklahoma-bred thoroughbreds has laminitis and is struggling to survive.

The Daily Racing Form is reporting the owners of Kip Deville say he has about a 20 percent chance of survival. The horse is being treated at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky. Michael Sherack, the vice president of investor relations for IEAH Stables, which owns the 6-year-old gelding, says Kip Deville took a turn for the worse within the last two weeks.

Sherack says the owners will do “what we can within reason” to help the horse recover from the often fatal hoof disease.

Kip Deville was foaled at Mighty Acres Farm near Pryor in northeastern Oklahoma.

He’s won more than $3.32 million while winning 12 of 30 starts, including the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Mile.

His last race was on Aug. 2, when he finished eighth in the Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga.

— AP

The OU men’s cross-country team finished an award-winning season with a 12th place finish in the NCAA Cross Country Championships Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind. Thirty-one teams competed.

The 12th place finish is OU’s highest finish in team history.

Before this year, the Sooners never cracked the top 25 or had a chance to compete in the national cross-country championship.

The Sooners will compete in the US Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Feb. 13, in Spokane, Wash.

BUILDING A TEAM OF CHAMPIONS Martin Smith, who is in his fifth year as head coach, said it has been a long process building such an outstanding program.

His runners were “an extremely hardworking and dedicated group of young men,” he said.

Redshirt junior Rob Sorrell, aviation management junior, and redshirt Kevin Schwab, history sophomore, are the captains of the team this year.

“They consistently ran as our top two athletes,” Smith said of them.

Although they came from different parts of the country — Sorrell from Memphis, Tenn. and Schwab from nearby Mustang — they have developed into quite the duo.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR Bill Kogel, a redshirt freshman from Sioux Falls, S.D., was the third runner for the Sooners this season.

Kogel’s efforts earned him the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, an award honoring the highest finish by a newcomer in the Big 12 Championship.

“That accomplishment is very symbolic of what a high level Bill ran at this year,” Smith said.

“Based on that, we started to develop a very strong 1-2-3 punch in those three guys.”

AN AWARD-WINNING GROUP Sorrell, Schwab and Kogel were also named all-Big 12 runners, an honor given to the top 15 runners in the Big 12 Championship.

Schwab finished sixth in that meet, with Kogel and Sorrell finishing 10th and 11th, respectively.

Sorrell and Kogel along with junior Jacob Boone and redshirt freshman Kevin Williams earned Academic All Big 12 honors, which requires a minimum grade point average of 3.2.

After finishing second in the Midwest NCAA Regional, the team qualified for the NCAA championship.

The Sooners accomplished this by defeating programs like Minnesota, Iowa State and Tulsa. Sorrell and Schwab finished third and fourth, marking the first time the Sooners have had two runners finish in the top five at an NCAA regional.

“It’s definitely cool to be part of that first team to make nationals,” Kogel said.

“And to kind of set the bar for teams in the future.”

The national championship performance ranked the team 3rd in the Big 12 behind traditionally higher ranked powers Oklahoma State, who won the National Championship, and Colorado.

“Just going through a couple sucky years here ourselves, it’s finally nice to put our place down,” Schwab said.

GOOD NEWS FOR NEXT YEAR Perhaps the best news for the Sooners is that they will not lose any lead runners next season.

“Next year, we return everybody,” Smith said. “And with the recruiting process, we’d like to think we’ll add additional athletes that can compliment not only the team for next year but teams down the road.”

The runners also are excited to see how they can build upon their success next season.

“Barring injuries and illnesses, and if we all improve, our team can do pretty well next year,” Sorrell said.

FINALS WEEK, Dec. 14-18, 2009

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NEIL MCGLOHON/THE DAILY

Joanna McFarland, number 53, has played in every game this season. The freshman is from Derby, Kansas and is one of only two freshman players on the Sooners’ women’s basketball team this season.

She’s definitely not in Kansas anymore High school record-setting freshman basketball player adjusts to Big 12 and college life

BY JAMES ROTH Daily Staff Writer

With the loss of one of OU’s greatest women basketball players, Courtney Paris, the Sooner women need to find a low post presence.

Joanna McFarland, freshman center, could offer that presence.

McFarland and Lyndsey Cloman are the only two freshman players for the women’s basketball team this season.

Big shoes to fill McFarland grew up in Derby, Kan., a town of about 22,500 people.

She is the youngest of four children, and her two older sisters both played Big 12 college basketball, Jessica at Kansas State University and Jackie at the University of Colorado.

Both of her sisters went on to play professional basketball overseas.

McFarland credits her sisters and her parents for getting her involved in basketball.

“There was this basketball league in Wichita called Bitty Basketball, and they had ages from five to middle school, so my parents entered me and both my sisters,” McFarland said.

“I started out in the youngest age group and have been playing ever since.”

Record setter McFarland was a standout in high school.

She attended Derby High School, where she holds many school records, including the single game scoring record with 47 points, the most points scored in a single season with 587 and the most career points with 1,818.

During her senior season, McFarland she averaged 26.8 points, 17.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game and was named the Gatorade Kansas State Player of the Year.

McFarland was ranked No. 38 overall by ESPN HoopGurlz.

All of her accomplishments caught the attention of OU head coach Sherri Coale and the Sooners.

“I was so ecstatic to know I was going to play for OU,” McFarland said. “When I came on my official visit, there was just something special about OU. It is hard to explain, but it is just there.”

“When I came on my official visit, there was just something special about OU. It is hard to explain, but it is just there.”

— JOANNA MCFARLAND McFarland not only has to adjust to the college game, but she has to adjust to college life in general. She is now 2 1/2 hours away from home and found that college has a lifestyle that has both its ups and downs.

“I like it,” she said. “It is fun to be able to do whatever I want. It is nice not to have to call my mom and tell her my every move,” she said.

“It gets kind of lonely sometimes, and it makes me miss my family, but I think that is expected.”

A different game While she has only played five games in her college career, it was obvious for McFarland from the start that the college game is a lot different from the high school game.

As the old saying goes, she was not in Kansas anymore.

However, she has done well with the playing time she has been given. McFarland has been on the floor in every game this year and has scored at least once in every game but one.

“I think I am adapting pretty well,” she said. “It is a lot faster. I have to go a lot harder all the time.

“You have to make so many decisions in less than a second; it is a lot of pressure, but you just have to work at it.”

While it might be too much to ask of McFarland to be a dominant low post presence during her freshman year, she knows that there will be a time in her OU career where she will have to be one.

The team lost Courtney Paris last year, and the only other center upperclassman is senior Abi Olajuwon.

This year, McFarland is looking to play her role and being able to contribute in any way she can.

“I need to rebound,” she said. “We lost a lot of rebounds with Courtney, like 20 a game. I am just going to rebound and score when I can. I also know I need to set screens to get my teammates open looks.”

Goal setter The chances and opportunities to have a solid career at OU look promising for McFarland. She has set many goals for not only herself but also her for her entire team.

“Obviously we want to win a national championship,” she said. “I won’t make a guarantee, but it is something we want.

For myself, I would like to make first team all-Big 12 and allacademic team as well.”

While she is pursuing a degree in chemistry and would like to do pharmaceutical work in the future, she has not ruled out the chance to continue her basketball career after college. Like her sisters, she said she might consider playing overseas for a while.

Over the next four years, fans will get the chance to see if this young freshman from Kansas can turn out to be one of the greats here at OU.

JOANNA MCFARLAND’S BASKETBALL FEATS » Derby (Kan.) High School single game scoring record with 47 points » Derby High School single season points record with 587 points » Derby High School career points record with 1,818 points » Average of 26.8 points, 17.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game during her high school senior season » Gatorade Kansas State Player of the Year » Ranked 38 overall in high school by HoopGurlz

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FINALS WEEK, Dec 14-18, 2009

THE DECADE’S BEST MUSIC IN EACH CATEGORY Editor’s Note: The Decade’s Best series is a four-part feature in The Oklahoma Daily. The articles are based on the writer’s opinion.

JOSHUA BOYDSTON Daily Staff Writer

ALBUM OF THE DECADE ARCADE FIRE — “FUNERAL” (2004)

Live your life like this album is playing in the background; I promise you will be all the happier for it.

For something titled “Funeral,” the album feels like an awfully upbeat and joyous affair. Well, perhaps triumphant would be better suited, and in a decade of political and social turmoil, “Funeral” helped us keep our chins up and wait out the storm.

JOSHUA Blending cohesion with disparity, “Funeral” functions in a way where any BOYDSTON song can stand alone, or just as easily complement the song just before.

Opening with the starry night twinkle of “Neighborhood 1 — Tunnels,” the album immediately races off like the most monumental evening of your life before the sun sets with “In The Backseat.” In between there are heightened moments of fear (“Neighborhood 2 — Laika”), sweet embraces (“Neighborhood 3 — Power Out”), ultimate victory (“Wake Up”) and self-realization (“Rebellion (Lies)”) that punctuates the journey into the most awe-inspiring, enlightening thing to be tracked and recorded in ages. ”Funeral” is the most lively, energetic translation of live performance to date; an album that will never feel cold and withered.

It’s an invigorating, near religious experience, one you will constantly want to relive and won’t soon forget.

mostly. The melodies hide below a spacey, trippy glaze, but there’s no denying the unexpected catchiness to singles like “My Girls” and “Summertime Clothes” as they leave you hanging on ever word.

There’s a lot I don’t know about this album, like if that first listen was better than the last or how something this experimental sounds this good. What I do know is I will keep listening until I figure it out, and love every single note of it all the while.

SONG OF THE YEAR

BEST

SONG OF THE DECADE

PETER BJORN AND JOHN — “YOUNG FOLKS” (2006)

of the

2000s

It usually tends to work out when singles are the most optimistic track off an album. The reason is pretty obvious really; people would much rather smile than cry.

Somehow though, the 2000s birthed a rather gloomy breed of singles. The cream of the crop almost always had a sort of downtrodden, or at least frustrated, manner about them.

Maybe this is what allowed the airy “Young Folks” to glow so brightly, whistling away any care or worry.

From that opening pitter-patter of tambourines and light as a feather drum rolls to the back and forth banter between boys and girls becoming a lovely romantic narrative, it truly was a breath of fresh air, and a catchy one at that.

It had a certain broad appeal that bounced across age brackets and other socioeconomic demographics. Dominating college and pop radio airtime, it left a near impossible standard for themselves to top.

Most of all, “Young Folks” truly is a song about youthfulness. It’s vivid, carefree and ambitious, and leaves you feeling much the same.

It might just be that whistle that brings the whole thing home; it’s the very epitome of cheerfulness and “Young Folks” has embodied that feeling to the T when we needed it most.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE — “MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION” With the critical success and fan admiration of their storied “Strawberry Jam,” news of Animal Collective’s newest album was met with equal parts elation and apprehension. The bar was set so high; topping it seemed an impossible task.

“Merriweather Post Pavilion” would instead prove to be one of the most ambitious, and realized, visions in recent memory.

What is so glorious about Animal Collective is not so much the music as much as the process of listening to it. It’s a constantly evolving process in which each listen faintly ties into the previous one, but the album (or song for that matter) becomes a completely different “animal” from that first listen.

Animal Collective’s sound is the Legos of music today; it gives you all the pieces, and you can either choose to follow the guide or assemble something of your very own creation. The latter is usually all the more rewarding.

Oddly enough though, “Merriweather Post Pavilion” is a pop album at heart, at least

PHOENIX — “1901”

The most surprising thing about Phoenix’s rise over the course of the year is how it didn’t happen sooner.

It’s not like they haven’t been recording some of the most chic, gorgeous indiepop gems over the course of the last few years. In fact, arguably, “It’s Never Been Like That” and “Alphabetical” had even better ones.

It just took an appearance on Saturday Night Live, performing the equally brilliant pair of “1901” and “Lisztomania” that fueled a complete ignition of Phoenix’s star status.

The recognition and fandom is well deserved and “1901” is a pretty brilliant summation of all things that make Phoenix what they are: glitzy electro washes swishing below precise rhythms and vocalist Thomas Mars’ flourishing croons.

What sets “1901” apart is how much it feels like the future.

It’s rather ironically titled in fact, and there is nothing vintage about this.

The song is what pop music should have become and provides a glimpse at that future. Encouragingly, people around the globe reacted and a sensation was born.

And with listeners falling in love with the rest of “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” too, all signs point to at least a glimmer of hope for pop music in the future, Ke$ha be damned.

ENTERTAINER OF THE DECADE KANYE WEST

I’m really happy for all those bands, and I’mma let them finish, but Kanye West had some of the best music of all-time!

Well, at least the decade.

Love him or hate him, there is no denying that he has had one of the most successful string of albums and singles in recent memory.

Chart toppers like “Stronger,” “Heartless,” “Good Life” and dozens more show he’s got an ear for what people want to hear.

His first three albums (“College Dropout,” “Late Registration” and “Graduation”) are hiphop masterpieces and standout across all genres, and despite his reputation, he works incredibly well with others.

Bringing in friends like Jamie Foxx and Lupe Fiasco ushered in some of his best tracks, and guest appearances on albums from the likes of Common, Dilated Peoples, Keri Hilson, Kid Cudi, Pharrell and Estelle nearly always resulted in Mr. West stealing the show.

And while he might enjoy doing just that too often, it’s hard to hate him for trying to be the best because he has been plenty entertaining in the process.

RUNNER UP: JACK WHITE While certainly not as flashy as Kanye, Jack White has been a rock ‘n’ roll workhorse and built up a rock icon status in less than ten years. The simplicity and brilliance of The White Stripes would have almost been enough, but equally interesting (and surprisingly distinctive) efforts in The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather puts him over the top.

6B

Hailey Branson, projects editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 325-3666 • fax: 325-6051

FINALS WEEK, Dec 14-18, 2009

sudoku

WARNING: Doing sudokus during finals could be harmful to your grade. But helpful for your mood. Proceed.

2

1

4

2

9 3

5 1

5 6 7 9 1 8 2 2 8 7 6 5 9 7 2 4 1 1 5 4 6 9 7 3 8 5 7 6 1 2

Previous Solution 3 6 5 2 9 4 1 7 8

2 7 1 6 5 8 9 4 3

8 9 4 3 7 1 2 5 6

9 2 6 8 4 7 3 1 5

5 8 3 9 1 6 4 2 7

4 1 7 5 3 2 8 6 9

7 5 2 4 8 3 6 9 1

6 3 9 1 2 5 7 8 4

1 4 8 7 6 9 5 3 2

Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard

3

9

8 7 2 3 6 9 4 7 1 5 4 5 1 9 6 8 7 9 4 2 3 8 6 3 8 1 8 1

Puzzle 1 Solution 4 8 6 9 1 7 2 3 5

1 5 7 2 4 3 8 6 9

2 3 9 8 6 5 1 7 4

6 2 1 4 5 8 3 9 7

9 4 8 7 3 2 5 1 6

3 7 5 1 9 6 4 2 8

8 9 2 3 7 4 6 5 1

7 6 4 5 2 1 9 8 3

Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

4

3

9

8 2 7

8 6

4

4 6 2 1 7 9 2

6 1

1

4 5 1 3

4 7 5 2 8 4 9 6 6 9 2

Puzzle 2 Solution 2 4 6 9 7 3 1 5 8

3 5 8 1 4 2 9 6 7

7 1 9 6 5 8 4 3 2

5 9 3 2 1 4 7 8 6

6 8 4 5 3 7 2 1 9

1 7 2 8 9 6 5 4 3

8 2 7 4 6 1 3 9 5

4 3 5 7 8 9 6 2 1

9 6 1 3 2 5 8 7 4

Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

Half-Price Sushi Rolls (with this ad, Dec. 14 - Jan. 19)

New Norman Location 326 E. Main Street 701-1800 Lunch Special (11-2) Japanese Udon Noodle Soup $6.95 (with drink - dine in only)

GaijinSushiBar.com

5 1 3 6 8 9 7 4 2

4 5 9

7 9

1

2 6

5

6

Puzzle 3 Solution

2

8

3

3

7

9

3 1 6

5

8

9 7 2

3 1

4

9 1 5 8 7 6 3 2 4

3 2 7 4 5 9 6 1 8

6 4 8 1 3 2 5 9 7

8 3 4 5 9 1 2 7 6

5 9 6 7 2 4 8 3 1

1 7 2 6 8 3 4 5 9

2 8 3 9 6 7 1 4 5

7 5 1 2 4 8 9 6 3

4 6 9 3 1 5 7 8 2

Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard

4

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.